Closure lock



March 4; 1930. Y E. w. McGHAN 1,749,255

CLOSURE LOCK Filed Oct. 1s; 1928 d," ,-l a tentedMar. 4,1930 1 i r v 1 749 255 ELMER w. MGGHAN, or SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH CLOSURE LOCK Application filed October 13,1928. serial No. 312,348.

v This invention relates to theft preventing interiorly or as in the case of some automodevices andhas' for its particular object the biles not threaded at all and requiring mereprovision of a simple, inexpensive'mea-ns for lye a 90 turn to'free it from the neck, as for preventing unauthorized removal of a closure example, in the Chevrolet. *i'that is revolved to secure access to the con-v The barrel of the lock is offset from the 65 e f 'i 'jtentsof thecontainer which itcloses, whether center line of the cap so that the cam when ornot the closureis actually removed from in unlocked position will be spaced a quite the receptacle or not. g appreciable distance from the inside wallof s A further and important object of the inthe neck 11 but in locking position as shown loiiventionlies' in the provision of a device which in all of the figures except Figure 4 is held by ican readily-be attached to the cap ofa gas a spring 28 in engagement with the wall of "oline tank permitting thecap to be screwed on i the neck. 7 I v further-after the device isplaced in looking I have illustrated thelock as one in which positionbut wedging the cap to the container the movement of the cylinder is always clockshould an' attempt be made to unscrew the cap wise, the key being insertable into thelock "while the lock is inoperative position. i and removable therefrom at diametrically op- I .While thefts of gasoline'from the tanks of positepoints usually called 0 and 180. Othautomobiles are generally of small volume er types'oflock are, however, equally approand usually with the thought of using the priate including the rather common lock in stolen fluid for a joy-ride, for example, rather which the key is insertable only in one posithan for the purpose" ofsale, the practice is tion and the cylinder moves forward and most annoying andin total amounts to a very backward thru a given are and in which the considerable figure I proposeto furnish a cam is usually spring-pressed into active'locksimpledevice whichmay be installed if'necesing position, at all times save when the key is 1 f gasoline tank but-usuallythelocks are to be 11161113; v assembled in standard caps at our factory Referring particularly to Figures 4 and 5, and sold asa unit; 'The'caps naturally may 5 2 6 is a projection from the revolving cylinder 'eitherfit an automobile tank, a stationary or of the lock preferably integral therewith, 8 a ground tank or any other container where which may be termed a shaft since it furnishes v a lock of the type is needed. While in pracfixed support for the spring 28 and the washtice Ihave not adapted myinvention. as yet to er 29 and limited pivotal support for the cam other uses I wish it distinctly understood that 20. The extended portion 26 of the lock cylthe inventio'n' is notj'liinited' by the specific inder is slotted as at 30 to provide for move- :showing here madebut is to be considered as ment of spring 28 held in such slot by the limited only as defined by the claims. I wedge-'25 The free end of spring 28 has re- In the'drawi ngs:" c I Q silientmovement ridingloosely in a slot 31 V fFigure 1 is atop plan view of a cap em in the cam 20, this slot being in communicabo'dyingfmy invention. I 7 I V tion with theopening in the cam, such open- 40 Figure 2 is a sidevelevation. V ing'having opposed 'arcuate sides 32 and 33 Figureg3, is abojtt'oin plan view. 1 joined by slightlyconverging straight walls I Figure fiis aaplain' on a larger scale of the which engage thesloping walls 36 of the shaft v foam and wedge. 1 '26. A corner of'the cylinder is also cut off as Fig'ure5 is asview showing the cam and at 39 to allow further play ,"washer in section. I In Figure 4 the cam is in unlocked position While thecap 10 is illustrated as being of and the spring 28 therefore holds the cam aparticular type Studebaker) fitting a neck alined with the projection 25. In this figure 11 exteriorly threaded as at 12, theinvention the serrated or roughened portion 40 of the f contemplates the use of the I device as well cam can be turned to the right until the right with containers in which the neck is threaded hand 'straightside 34 of the cam opening ensary by the purchaser in the cap of hisown in the lock and held to theen-d'ot its movel gages the straight side 36 of the shaft but cannot be turned in the opposite direction, i. e., to the left as seen in this figure. The are of the cusps or points of the serrations of the cam is struck from a point to the right of the axis of the revolving cylinder as seen in this figure and consequently the cusp 41 is located at a greater distance from such axis-than is the cusp 42, therefore the cusp 4:1 will engage the inside wall of the gas tank neck first and will arrest movement of thecam while permitting a further movement of the shaft.

Since this figure is a bottom plan'view the cam and locking cylinder move in a counter: clockw se directlon.

toothed cam 20. f

In operation the parts will be in the position as shown in Figure 4 when the cap is unlocked. In such posltion the cam Wlll be directed somewhat more that 180} away. from its point of contactwith the gas tank neck wall and will be spaced from the wall at its'n'earest point, a distance well sufiicient to clear any obstruction as, for example, the

inside shoulder of the neck of the tank often present. The cap, after'the tank has ,been' filled, is screwed on a short distance and then the key may be turned .to move the parts to locking-position. Further rotation of the cap 10 to'screw it on th'eneck 11 will meet,

confine of the inner surface. 1 Such action f would, therefore, wedge theteeth into the neck. and firmly against theshaft preventingreverse rotation of the cap after 'a few degrees of angular movement.

VVhatI claim is: j 1. In a rotating closure lock,a locking barrel having a key controlled cylinder,"a cam secured to the rotating cylinder but having relative rotation therewith, said cam hav-' ing a series of teeth at its free surface,sa1d I teeth beingfstruck on an arc-having its'center offset with respect to the center. of the cylinder.. I g

2. A lock for preventing reverse rotation including a lock barrel, a 'lockcylinder hav ing angular movement therein, a serrated cam secured to the lock cylinder to prevent v axial movement ofthe cam whilepermitting a degree of angular movement of the cam, f

and spring meansfyie'lding'ly holding the cam infixed angular relation to theglock cylinder. I

In a device tation, a lock having a barrel and a revolving cylinder, a shaft extending from said cylin- The Washer 29; serves" merely to prevent axial movement of the" Y direction to remove the cap;

for preventing relative roder having a cylindrical surfaceiand a plu-' rality of plane surfaces, a cam mounted on said shaft in constant engagement with the i cylindrical portion and movable onthe shaft so as to engage alternately the two plane sides of the shaft;

At. The device of claim 3 in which the cam I is spring-pressed intorcont-act'with one of the plane sidcsof the shaft. I i

5. The device of claim'3 in whichthe cam has a roughenedf'surface one portion of which is spaced further from the axis of the cylinder than the otherportions. 6. The device of claim 8 in which the cam j has a" roughened surface struck from a radius the center of which is offset with re-v spect to'the axis of the shaft and in which-aspring means yieldingly holds'the cam at-,.-- I

one limit of its angular travel.

7. In a device for preventingitheftfrom a container havlng a cap which .has angular n1o,vement,'a cylinder lock fast to the c ap t'o one sideof the cap axis, a cam pivoted to the cylinder of the look -so as to have "limited angular play, means yieldingly holding the cam in chosen angular relation to the cylinder, salfd cam havlng aroughened surface to engage a wall of thecont'amertoprevent re-f verse'rotation of the cap..' 5 I 8. Inad-evice for preventing theft from a gasoline tank having a neck normally closed Y by a cap which; must .be' rotatedtosecure' access to the, container, a 'key' operated revolving cylinderYlock secured to-the cap slightly offset from thecenter thereof, a serrated edge cam secured to therevolvingcylg inder of the lock .preventingaxial movement 1 of thecam while giving itdefi-nitely limited H angular movement, a spring'yieldably hold i ing the cam against angularmovement with relation to the CYllIlClBI', saldcam .wedglng rotation of the cap whilethe'device is locked.

9. In a device for preventing theft froma l i container having a screw cap, a cylinder lock,

secured to thecap to one sidejof thecenteriofg the look, a campivoted to the revolvingicyh 5 V i inder ofthelock so as tohave limited anguthe cap to the container neckupon reverse lar play, spring means yieldablyholdingfthe:

cam in definitely angular relation to thecyl inder, said. camv having an arcuate-serrated} ed ge engaging the container when the cap is locked of such formas to wedge the cap-to the container when the cap ismoved lll'la."

In testimony whereofI afiix signature.{

E E 1W.,MoGHANy-' 

